Chapter 344: Chapter 342 I Don’t Hate You Anymore
"Si Yuhuan, you really are a scoundrel."
Jian Xi gritted her teeth, yet she had no way to deal with him.
Si Yuhuan tugged at his lip with a smile. "You’re asking me for a favor—wouldn’t I be at a huge loss if I didn’t ask for some compensation?"
"I’ve already had a child with another man!" Jian Xi emphasized repeatedly, purposely trying to disgust him.
To her surprise, Si Yuhuan wasn’t angry; he remained composed.
"It’s just bearing a child; we didn’t get married. What I’m doing isn’t illegal; at worst, it’s morally questionable. But... I’ve never been one for morals anyway."
Zhang Yaxuan didn’t deserve to be her husband. When she’d needed him most, he was never there for her! He simply wasn’t a man at all!
Jian Xi’s mind blanked for a moment, momentarily losing the ability to think. Somehow, hearing those words from him seemed perfectly fitting.
"I can’t be bothered to argue with you."
Having nothing left to say, Jian Xi prepared to leave.
"You should just stay here with me."
"Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow, looking at Si Yuhuan.
"It will be convenient for when Xinxin sends information. We can receive it promptly and react quickly. Otherwise, would we have to wait an hour and a half every time for you to get here?"
Jian Xi was left speechless by his argument.
"That makes sense."
After hesitating again and again, she decided to endure it for the sake of her son.
Si Yuhuan laughed in exasperation. "Is it so difficult for you to live with me?"
"A little," Jian Xi admitted frankly.
Where was it written that ex-husbands and ex-wives should live together?
"You act as if you’re losing out by staying with me!"
Jian Xi fell silent. If it weren’t for her son, would she even be considering this?!
Jian Xi shot him a glare through gritted teeth and went upstairs to pick a room.
Soon after, there was a knock at the door.
"What is it?"
She opened the door huffily.
Yan Qing stood at the doorway, full of apologies. "Madam..."
"Don’t call me Madam. Jian Xi or Miss Jian will do," Jian Xi corrected him.
"Alright," Yan Qing replied with reluctance. "Miss Jian, I have some work to handle and need to step out. Tonight, could you please help make dinner for Director Si and then change his dressing?"
Jian Xi wanted to refuse, but Yan Qing was a step ahead.
"Director Si’s wound keeps reopening from trying to save you; I’m worried about infection..."
"Fine!"
Ultimately, Si Yuhuan wouldn’t have pushed himself so hard if it weren’t for her and her son. A wave of buried guilt washed over her; she was so embarrassed she wished she could crawl into a hole.
Yan Qing smartly left it at that.
"Director Si is willing to give everything for you; he’s actually quite good to you."
Before Jian Xi could offer her opinion, Yan Qing quickly made his way downstairs.
"I..." Jian Xi began, but then just took a deep breath and hung her head.
It was as if an invisible hand was squeezing her and Si Yuhuan together, impossible to separate, impossible to drive apart!
CLANG—
From Si Yuhuan’s room, there was a sound like something had toppled and shattered.
Jian Xi hurried over.
Pushing the door open, the scene before her sent her heart racing and face flushing.
Si Yuhuan had opened his shirt, revealing eight-pack abs, streamlined muscles, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. Coupled with that handsome face, he was a lethal weapon.
"I-I’ll help you."
Jian Xi went in, feigning nonchalance, and picked up several medicine bottles from the floor. After inspecting them, she couldn’t help but frown.
"Is it that serious?"
The anti-inflammatory medication was mixed with painkillers; he must be in so much pain!
Turning around, she saw the ghastly, bone-deep wounds on his back, stitched up and somewhat horrifying. The torn muscles around them faintly oozed blood. Pitiful, newly formed granulation tissue clung to the sutures. Jian Xi couldn’t help her pupils constricting at the sight.
"Get up."
Such injuries, and he wasn’t going to the hospital! The consequences of an infection would be unimaginable.
Without any explanation, Jian Xi pulled him up, even proficiently taking a shirt and jacket out of the wardrobe.
She chose ones that were relatively loose and wouldn’t chafe the skin.
"Jian Xi, is it really that hard to admit you care about me?"
Si Yuhuan tightened his grip on her hand, scratching the center of her palm.
Jian Xi’s face instantly flushed red. "At a time like this, Director Si still feels like flirting! There really is a saying online that hits the nail on the head: if a man isn’t hanging on a wall, his mind is full of women."
Si Yuhuan’s expression darkened. That little woman always had such cutting remarks! He had thought that after she saw his wounds, she would be sympathetic and obedient, or at least show some concern, right? But this was all he got... He felt an internal injury, as if he were about to vomit blood from frustration.
"Si Yuhuan, don’t force me to get physical. Get up quickly and go to the hospital," Jian Xi issued her final ultimatum.
"I can’t go," Si Yuhuan said, applying the medicine to himself. His expression was as cold as if someone owed him a billion, and he looked incredibly stubborn.
Jian Xi put her hands on her hips. "Why can’t you go? Are you waiting to get infected and die?"
"Xinxin could send a message at any moment. Am I supposed to climb out of a hospital bed to help you snatch the child?"
His words instantly made Jian Xi’s eyes redden.
"Si Yuhuan, that’s Zhang Yaxuan’s child."
The man suddenly raised his head, his eyes dark as ink. "It’s also your child."
Jian Xi felt a part of her heart’s wall shatter violently. The guilt trapped inside was unleashed, her nose tingled, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.
"Don’t think that by saying these things, you can move me to accept you."
"I’m not expecting that," he said, as if it were nothing.
Jian Xi could feel that he was desperately helping her save her son, not to take advantage or force her into submission.
"Even if you save my son, I won’t be able to be with you," Jian Xi blurted out before she knew it.
After saying it, she regretted it.
Would Si Yuhuan refuse to help her save her son now? At that moment, she had to admit she was being selfish.
But she was powerless, with nowhere to turn for help. Her fifth brother, the most capable fighter, was still lying in a hospital bed, and there was no telling when he would wake up. Without Si Yuhuan, she had absolutely no chance of saving her son.
"Helping you save your son is something I want to do. As for whether you will remarry me, man makes the plans, and man also determines the outcome!"
Si Yuhuan’s strong aura locked onto Jian Xi, making her feel inescapable.
Jian Xi pursed her lips. "You’re really confident."
"But you really are heartless."
He was human too; her words could hurt. But then again, how many times had he said such things to Jian Xi in the past? She had endured them all—what couldn’t he bear?
Jian Xi couldn’t guess what was going through Si Yuhuan’s mind, but because of his statement, she felt guilty.
In that instant, her hatred vanished. All the grievances of their past life were wiped clean. In this life, Si Yuhuan had his good points and his bad; they balanced each other out, and now, only the good seemed to remain.
"Si Yuhuan," Jian Xi said, "I hope you can take good care of yourself in the future."
In the end, Si Yuhuan relented to Jian Xi, and a team of family doctors was called over.
The doctors re-stitched the wound and instructed Si Yuhuan, "You absolutely cannot let the wound split open again, otherwise it will be very troublesome."
She had heard this kind of thing before. The last time, when he had lied to gain her sympathy, he had made the doctors say it countless times. Hearing it again now, her feelings were complicated.
"Alright! It’s fine, you can go now."
This time, Si Yuhuan was somewhat impatient, instructing the doctors to leave after they finished bandaging.
"Um, it’s inconvenient for you guys to come and bandage this all the time; you might as well leave the medicine with me," Jian Xi suddenly stepped forward and said to the doctors.
Si Yuhuan’s eyes flashed with surprise as he looked toward her.